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Surveying a broad landscape through a narrow lens, 1215 sweeps readers back eight centuries in an absorbing portrait of life during a time of global upheaval, the ripples of which can still be felt today.

At the center of this fascinating period is the document that has become the root of modern freedom: the Magna Carta. Never before had royal authority been challenged so fundamentally. The Great Charter would become the foundation of the U.S. government and legal system, and nearly eight hundred years later, two of Magna Carta's sixty-three clauses are still a ringing expression of freedom for mankind. But it was also a time of political revolution and domestic change that saw the Crusades, Richard the Lionheart, King John, and -- in legend -- Robin Hood all make their marks on history.

The events leading up to King John's setting his seal to the famous document at Runnymede in June 1215 form this rich and riveting narrative that vividly describes everyday life from castle to countryside, from school to church, and from hunting in the forest to trial by ordeal. For instance, women wore no underwear (though men did), the average temperatures were actually higher than they are now, the austere kitchen at Westminster Abbey allowed each monk two pounds of meat and a gallon of ale per day, and it was possible to travel from Windsor to the Hampshire coast without once leaving the forest.

Broad in scope and rich in detail, 1215 ingeniously illuminates what may have been the most important year of our history.

Product Description&colon;
A few years ago Danny Danziger wrote a popular book about what life was like during the year AD 1000, a year of great psychological significance for much of Europe's population. Now, with the help of John Gillingham, he directes his attention to a milestone year in English history, 1215, a year which saw the transformation of England's monarchy, government and legal system all due to King John's signing of the Magna Carta. Each chapter adopts a theme, such as the castle, the countryside, town, school, tournaments and battles, King John, the English, the Church, Christianity, the wider world, and the reasons for the Magna Carta, to look at how rich and poor lived their lives and how they viewed their changing world. As one would expect, the text is approachable, full of interesting facts and complemented by extracts from all manner of texts.

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Store Description: Welcome to Kennedy Books. We have spent many years collecting modern firsts, many signed. We focus on fiction, poetry, biography and books on the craft of writing and the joy of reading.